7 Meetings and Agendas
katrina webkamigad and Yvonne Abitong
Photo by Campaign Creators on Unsplash
Chapter Objectives
- Create a meeting agenda
- Identify elements of a formal agenda
- Take minutes during a meeting
- Identify elements of formal meeting minutes
AGENDAS
Agendas are used to organize meetings, keep track of old and new content, gives a time frame for what items are to be discussed and provides a clear understanding of a common end goal for the participants. Agendas hold important dates and content, plus they provide guidance and preparations for the following meetings.
What is a meeting Agenda?
- A meeting Agenda is a list of components and goals that participants are to discuss and hope to accomplish during a meeting
What is the purpose of an Agenda?
- To outline the main ideas of any events, responsibilities and deadlines that must be further discussed and determined.
How to Develop an Effective Agenda
- Create an agenda
- Identify the five W’s (Who, What, When, Where and Why?)
- Items of discussion
- Goals of the meeting
- Provide any readings or documentation that will prepare your participants for what is expected
When can an Agenda be used?
- An agenda can be used anytime there is a big event, interview times and dates, work schedules or school schedules, conferences etc.
Agenda
Structure and Format of an Agenda
- Daily Planner
- Timetable
- Syllabus
Running a Meeting
Introduction
Make your objective clear. A meeting must have a specific and defined purpose. Before you send that calendar invite, ask yourself: What do I seek to accomplish? Are you alerting people to a change in management or a shift in strategy? Are you seeking input from others on a problem facing the company? Are you looking to arrive at a decision on a particular matter?
In order to conduct an effective meeting, You also need to have an agenda. An agenda usually contains the following elements:
- Call to Order
- Roll Call
- Reading/Approval of Minutes
- Officer’s (and others) Reports
- Committee Reports
- Unfinished Business
- New Business
Stick to your schedule. Create an agenda that lays out everything you plan to cover in the meeting, along with a timeline that allots a certain number of minutes to each item and email it to people in advance. Once you’re in the meeting, put that agenda up on a screen or whiteboard for others to see. This keeps people focused.
Start on time, end on time. If you have responsibility for running regular meetings and you have a reputation for being someone who starts and ends promptly, you will be amazed how many of your colleagues will make every effort to attend your meetings. People appreciate it when you understand that their time is valuable. Another note on time: Do not schedule any meeting to last longer than an hour. Sixty minutes is generally the longest time workers can remain truly engaged.
Follow up. It’s quite common for people to come away from the same meeting with very different interpretations of what went on.